Monday, February 28, 2011

16. CEDULA during the Revolution

The CEDULA during the Spanish colonial period, was an identification card and residence tax certificate that had to be carried at all times. A person who could not present his or her cedula could be arrested and imprisoned by the Guardia Civil.

Photo courtesy of GMA 7

On August 23, 1896, a crowd of katipuneros was gathered
around their Supremo, Andres Bonifacio, in Kangkong, Balintawak. Bonifacio
spoke of how the secret organization had been betrayed to the Spanish
authorities and warned of the dangers they all now faced. Armed revolution against
the Spanish colonizers was the answer, someone suggested, and the Katipunan
should start it. A few members disagreed but were outvoted by the rest.

The crowd shouted their approval. They tore their cedulas and declared themselves free from Spain. The cedula had until
then been the people's only passport to freedom in their own country.

The air rang with the people's jubilant cries: "We
are free from slavery!" "Long live the Tagalogs!"

The katipuneros decided to wrest Manila and the Tagalog region
from the Spaniards and achieve final and lasting independence for the nation.
The attack on Manila was set for midnight of August 29.

Here are samples of cedulas during the Spanish and American wars.

1896 Cedula Personal issued in Manila. This is similar to the cedula torn by the Katipuneros

1896 Provincial Cedula Personal issued in Iba, Zambales

1896 Cedula Personal complete and unused

1898 Cedula Personal issued to Chinese residents by Aguinlado's revolutionary government in Pangasinan

Abiva is a Philippine publisher for textbooks in basic education. We are currently in the process of securing permission for the materials that will be used in our History textbook entitled Kamalayang Panlipunan 7. Our author would like to include in this book, the photo of cedula featured in this blog entry (as seen in http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uqi1AmH_Bb0/TkOE6JUPpqI/AAAAAAAAAc8/-xmusq9njUY/s640/Cedula-Zambales+copy.jpg). In light of this, we respectfully ask for your permission to print and reproduce the photo being referred to in the link provided.